What It Is
by anomoly
Summary: PRNS. An exploration of characters and relationships. [het, mild slash]
1. one

**"Author"'s Note**: To be honest, I've never actually seen an episode of this show, ever. This story stems from clips I HAVE seen, interesting character (relationships and dynamics), pretty boys and all the slash fanfic from the fandom that I accidently stumbled upon. Seriously. So apologies for OOC-ness and inconsistancies with the show.  
  
**Disclaimer**: I don't own 'em. (Nor do I particularly wish to). Just attempting to amuse myself here by playing with them...  
  
**Feedback**: Yes, please. Feedback = good. Constructive critisism = good. Flames = bad and will be used to start a bonfire. Mmkay thanks.   
  
-   
  
He was eating breakfast when Tori barged in and boosted herself up onto the table. "'Morning, Cam." She greeted cheerfully.   
  
Cam swallowed a mouthful of juice. "Good morning, Tori. You're in an awfully good mood today."   
  
She grinned, snagging a chunk of melon off the plate he was eating from. Ignored the mock-glare Cam shot in her direction. "Aren't I always?"   
  
"You've got plans with Blake, haven't you?" He asked dryly. Not even waiting for an answer, Cam forged on. "Where are Shane and Dustin?"   
  
"They're doing the male-bonding thing. As if they haven't done enough of that already. Uh huh." Her bare legs swung carelessly over the side of the slab of wood. "They said they're playing basketball." She snorted. "Right."   
  
Loud, argumentative voices from down the hall disrupted their chatter, increasing in volume with every passing moment. Tori raised a quizzical eyebrow at Cam, who responded with a long-suffering sigh.   
  
"They've been at it all morning."   
  
"Blake and Hunter?" A nod informed her of the affirmative as she folding her legs onto the table. "About…?"   
  
"Oh, who knows with those two? They get along fine and all of a sudden, they're tearing into each other about everything." Cam rolled his eyes. "Never a dull moment with the Thunders around."   
  
As if to confirm his statement, Blake chose that exact moment to stomp through the kitchen and out the exit without stopping to acknowledge either party in the room.   
  
Pushing off her perch, a worried expression now gracing her features where a grin was only moments before, Tori made to follow him.   
  
"Wait! You're not leaving me here to deal with Hunter, are you?"   
  
"Would you rather go after Blake?" Tori called pointedly over her shoulder.   
  
And with that, she was gone.   
  
"Point taken." Cam muttered to himself. "This is just great." He dropped his fork onto his plate. "Three…two…one…"   
  
On cue, Hunter slunk into the kitchen.   
  
Cam smirked. "Well, good morning, sunshine."   
  
Hunter grunted in response, digging through a cupboard, back turned to Cam.   
  
"Everything okay?"   
  
Another grunt. Hunter found what he was looking for and skulked away.   
  
Sighing again, Cam scraped his chair back to abandon his breakfast and follow him. 


	2. two

**Notes:** (see chapter one for all notes and disclaimers)   
  
-   
  
When Tori finally caught up to him, Blake was already crouching by the edge of the lake, staring gloomily at the ripples in the water. She dropped down beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."   
  
He gave her a half-smile. "Tori. Hey."   
  
The hand lingered against the navy blue shirt. "You okay?"   
  
A sigh. "It's Hunter." Tori nodded sympathetically as Blake continued. "Sometimes I wish he would just back off a little. He's so damn protective all the time.   
  
"It's not that I don't love him, I do: he's my bro and all. But he should let me make my own mistakes, stop hovering over me every two seconds. I'm not a kid anymore! He doesn't have to be big-brother Hunter all the time, I can take care of myself just fine."   
  
Tori's voice was uncharacteristically hesitant as she answered. "Blake, he just wants to be sure you're okay."   
  
"Yeah, I know." He exhaled in frustration. "But couldn't he do that without…"   
  
"Do you just not want you to take care of you anymore?"   
  
Blake's head snapped around to face Tori. "I didn't say that! That's not what I meant at all!"   
  
Tori edged closer to him. "So what do you mean?"   
  
"Just that…just that…" Blake stared at his hands, defeat in his voice. "I just wish he'd stop trying to take care of me and start taking better care of himself, okay?"   
  
A moment of silence, and then "That's it?"   
  
"'That's it'?!" Blake's voice was indignant. "What do you _mean_ 'That's it'?"   
  
"I _mean_", Tori said evenly. "That if that's _it_, you should just go ahead and TELL him what you told me."   
  
He considered it for a moment. "I can't."   
  
"Why not?"   
  
"Because. Because…that's just not what we do." He finished lamely.   
  
"It could be." She insisted.   
  
"Maybe." Blake seemed to consider this for a moment, before breaking out into a genuine smile. "Thanks, Tori."   
  
"No prob." She returned his smile, inching even closer. He brought his hand to her face and brushed away a few stray strands of blonde hair, moving his face closer to her's. She held her breath in anticipation, closing her eyes.   
  
Only to be interrupted by the sound of incessant beeping.   
  
Blake and Tori both let out collective breaths of irritation at the interruption, exchanging glances that clearly indicated apologies and "we'll continue this later", and proceeded to answer the beckoning call.   
  
-   
  
Cam followed Hunter to the Rec room at Ops, cornering him against the couch where he sprawled. "Okay Hunter, what gives?"   
  
"Nothing." the answer a mumble. "Go 'way."   
  
"No such luck. Time to share."   
  
Hunter glowered at him, but Cam met his glare unflinchingly until Hunter finally broke eye contact and seemed to find something extremely interesting about the baggy pants he was wearing.   
  
Relishing his small victory, Cam moved to sit down on the couch. Since there was no room, as the entire expanse of the furniture was occupied by sprawled out gangly boy in crimson, he opted to sit down on his sullen teammate's legs instead, and was rewarded with a jostle and a yelp. "Worried about Blake?"   
  
"Maybe."   
  
"Hunter." It came out a warning.   
  
"Okay, okay. I'm worried he won't need me anymore, okay? You happy now, dude?" Another glare, this one effectively ignored.   
  
"Blake? Not need you?" Cam couldn't believe his ears. "You're kidding me, right?"   
  
Hunter's silence gave him the answer he needed, and Cam sighed. Hunter really was dense sometimes.   
  
"That's never going to happen. Blake will always need you. He needs you now. He'll need you on his wedding day to do up his tie. He'll need you when he's going through his mid-life crisis because he's balding and growing a beer gut and wants to talk to someone who's already been through that." Cam chuckled; the half-smile Hunter gave him, despite the commentary, not lost on him.   
  
"However, you're going to have to realize that Blake's not a boy anymore. He's a kid, sure, but he's not a boy. And you, you're just a kid, too. You don't have to hover over him all the time – he'll be okay."   
  
"He's all I have though. I have to take care of that." Hunter's voice came out as soft and unsure as Cam had ever heard it.   
  
And for a moment, Cam thought he might be feeling an unfamiliar sensation in his chest and stomach.   
  
"That's not true. It's not. You have so much more than that, now. Friends. Family. Blood ties mean nothing, Hunter. You should know that better than anyone." Cam took a deep breath. "It's about those who care. You have us too. And you will always, always have Blake."   
  
Hunter was silent for a few moments, seemingly contemplating what Cam had just said. And then gave him another one of his patented half-smiles.   
  
"Thanks, bro."   
  
"Don't mention it. Seriously. And now, can we please leave this world of melodrama?"   
  
"Yeah, yeah, okay."   
  
A moment passed.   
  
"Um…Cam, dude?"   
  
"What?"   
  
"You're still sitting on me."   
  
"Oh. Um." Cam's cheeks reddened, but made no motion to move. "Sorry."   
  
"Don't be. I don't really mind, just felt like pointing that out."   
  
"Great. Just great. You know what? I'm comfortable and not moving. Consider it payback for having to sit through your episode of angst."   
  
"Fine, whatever. You're the one who's going to be sore from sitting on my legs."   
  
The beeping of their devices interrupted their light banter. They glanced at each other.   
  
"Duty calls." Cam shrugged as he pushed himself up and extended a hand to help pull Hunter up off the couch. 


	3. three

**Notes**: Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed (and pointed out my mistakes! Thank you!). Your comments and helpful hints are appreciated! You guys rock! ^___________^   
(all other story notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter one)   
  
-   
  
It took all six of them to hold up a fair fight against the monster-of-the-week and it's minions. While the subordinates were defeated with ease, the main villain seemed to be fairly resilient to the attack.   
  
"Dude, this thing's tough!" Dustin groaned as he skidded across the ground resulting from a blow from the monster.   
  
Cam and Tori landed harshly in a heap beside him. "Ow. No kidding."   
  
Shane prepared to charge at the creature. "Less talk, more attacking." He barked as he rushed past his fallen teammates.   
  
Recognizing the edge in his voice as the "oh-fearless-leader-Shane's-no-nonsense" tone, the figures in green, yellow and blue struggled to their feet and were once more on the offensive.   
  
-   
  
Hunter kicked at a trio of the monster's foot soldiers, effectively destroying them. He turned around in time to see the rest of his team struggling in vain to defend themselves against the newest villain, as they seemed over powered by blow after blow.   
  
A group of the minions swarmed Cam, Tori and Shane, leaving Blake and Dustin in a showdown against the monster. It quickly and forcefully knocked Dustin away, before setting it's sights on Blake. Blake fought back valiantly, but to no avail, as he soon found himself flat on his back, the creature's foot crushing against his windpipe.   
  
The monster raised it's staff, ready to strike it down onto Blake; ready to destroy Blake, helpless in his current position.   
  
And that was when Hunter's instinct kicked into gear.   
  
-   
  
Blake couldn't move. He attempted to struggle away from the monster's grasp, but he couldn't shift his position at all. With that, in addition to the fact that he could no longer breath properly, he came to a sinking realization: This was the end.   
  
The creature's lips twisted into a cruel snarl as it raised the staff to strike down Blake.   
  
Destroy him.   
  
Blake closed his eyes, waiting, anticipating the final blow.   
  
And waited.   
  
In the darkness of closed eyes, there was a loud sound, an explosion perhaps, and a sudden flash of heat.   
  
The blow never came. The pressure around his neck was suddenly released. He gulped for air as his eyes shot open.   
  
He was still alive.   
  
-   
  
The area was relatively quiet. The monster and minions gone, the only evidence of their exploits a small, smouldering pile of ashes and a few random dents against the nearby dumpster.   
  
On one side, he saw Tori, Shane and Cam slowly getting up; a little worse for wear, but spirits still in tact. Dustin nearby, whooping over the defeat of the enemy. A cheering that died down and turned into more of a panicking worry. Blake turned his head.   
  
On the other side, Hunter lying on the ground, unmorphed. Unmoving.   
  
Blake was at his side in mere moments, desperately shaking his shoulder, voice raising a full pitch and growing increasingly shrill.   
  
"Power down", Shane commanded quietly. And then, the rest of them were there too, shaking at the other shoulder, concern and worry etched across their facial features.   
  
Finally, Hunter stirred. "No…" he muttered, turning over. "I don't wanna go to school today…"   
  
Blake let out a strangled noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a wail, and he sagged heavily against Tori in relief, who wrapped him into a sort of one-armed embrace. He caught the look on Cam's face, and somehow, he knew that Cam was feeling the exact same way right now.   
  
But it was Shane who spoke up in a mock-threat, relief evident in his voice. "Dude. Next time you worry us like that, I'll kill you myself, bro."   
  
Hunter's laugh came out more like a wheeze. "You're spending way too much time with Dustin – you're starting to sound like him." 


	4. four

**Notes**: all notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter one  
  
-  
  
He awoke in an unfamiliar bed, sunlight streaming through the windows, and someone bouncing ever so slightly at the edge of the mattress. He threw his arm up to shield his eyes from the worst of the light, hissing slightly in the process as a sharp pain shot up his side.   
  
The bouncing stopped and was replaced by the dipping of the bed, as someone was suddenly leaning over him. Squinting, he immediately recognized the familiar concerned expression. "You okay, bro?"   
  
"I'm fine, bro." Hunter grinned at his younger brother. "Don't make that face," he continued, noting the look that still graced his brother's face. "It's gonna freeze like that one day."   
  
Blake allowed himself a smile. "I'm going to ignore that part, dude. Anyway. Are you _sure_ you're okay?" he asked again, question this time punctuated by gentle pokes to Hunter's chest and ribs.   
  
His brother batted away prodding fingers with his other arm. "Ow! Quit it, man!"   
  
Laughing now, Blake complied and dropped down onto the bed, using his brother's shoulder as a pillow. Hunter willingly scooted over to make room for his younger brother.   
  
"So where exactly am I right now?" Hunter asked Blake, noting the unfamiliar furnishing and wallpaper of the room.   
  
"Ops." Blake replied. "They took you back here yesterday, after the…you know." He cringed as he continued. "You just fell asleep and they didn't want to wake you up. Oh, and it's eleven in the morning right now." He finished, answering Hunter's unasked question.   
  
"Great."   
  
There was a silence between the two.   
  
"Hunter?" Quietly.   
  
"Yeah?" Sensing the quiet apprehension, Hunter's response was gentle as he turned his head to face his brother.   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
Hunter was perplexed. "For what?"   
  
Blake was unable to meet his eyes. "For…making you think that I don't need you to take care of me anymore. Or whatever. I do need you, you know."   
  
A sigh. "I know that, Blake. I also know that I really should back off a little with the whole protective-ness thing. I'll work on that."   
  
"No, it's not that. It's just…"   
  
"It's what, bro?"   
  
"You should stop trying to take care of me all the time and forget to take care of yourself!" Blake burst out. "Like yesterday! What the hell was that? If you think that I need you, why the hell would you _do_ something like that?" His voice wavered, threatening to crack at any moment, burying his face into the arm of his brother's jersey.   
  
Hunter swallowed the lump that was suddenly forming in his throat. "Blake, bro, look at me." Blake shook his head, head still buried against his arm. "Okay, okay, fine. Just listen then, all right?   
  
It's not a matter of taking care of myself. I know I need to, and I do" he chuckled. "How else would we still be here if it weren't for my amazing survival skills?"   
  
He heard a muffled laugh (maybe a sniffle?) and took that as a cue to continue.   
  
"The thing is, bro, I'm never going to stop with the need to take care of you. I need you, need to know that you're okay. So even if I do back off a bit, if something like yesterday happens another time, I'd do it all over again. I can't help it: it's almost like an instinct. And you're just going to have to accept that. Okay?"   
  
He suddenly found himself being firmly embraced by Blake, who was looking very young as he offered Hunter a shaky smile. "Okay."   
  
Hunter ruffled his brother's hair. "You know, it's only because I think I need you more than you need me."   
  
There was uncertain laughter on Blake's part. "What?"   
  
"Yeah, seriously bro. Don't you know? You're the one who's been keeping me sane all this time."   
  
Blake couldn't resist a jibe at that one. "You think you're _sane_? I'd hate to see what you would be like without me."   
  
Hunter only good-naturedly rolled his eyes. "So there's your proof. Wise guy."   
  
Another moment of silence, this one more companionable and comfortable.   
  
And then tentatively, slowly, Blake spoke. "So…we're cool?" Understanding reached, but still clutching onto his brother like he was afraid he was going to disappear.   
  
Hunter smiled at him. "Of course."   
  
They always were. 


	5. five

**Notes**: all notes and disclaimers can be found in chapter one  
  
-  
  
In the main room, Tori perched on the edge of the computer table, chatting with Shane, who was leaning against a pillar, and Cam who was focused on his computer screen.   
  
"So Hunter's okay?" Shane questioned.   
  
"Yeah." Cam's eyes didn't bother to look up from his programming and codes. "Blake's in there talking to him right now."   
  
Tori's eyes lit up at the mention of Blake's name. "Cool."   
  
"Got plans today with Blake?" A teasing grin spread across Shane's face.   
  
The blond girl's cheeks tinted with a light blush. "Maybe."   
  
"You do, don't you?" Shane was positively smirking now.   
  
"So what if I do?" Tori resisted the urge to revert back to tactics of children and stick her tongue out at her friend. "We hang out all the time! I chill with him because he's fun! Like yesterday! Until we were interrupted." She paused to glare at the device resting against her wrist.   
  
Shane's expression suddenly hardened. "Hey, Tor. You know that with power comes responsibility,.."   
  
"Yeah, yeah…" Her face reddened even more now, for entirely different reasons. "I wasn't complaining…"   
  
She was saved from further embarrassment with Dustin's well-timed entrance, clad in a ripped yellow t-shirt, bouncing a basketball. "Hey guys. Shane, wanna play?"   
  
Shane's expression brightened again. "First to 21?"   
  
" 'Course, bro." He turned to the rest of them. "Later, dudes. We're just going to be at the court, 'k? Contact us if you need us. Hopefully not."   
  
Cam and Tori watched their retreating backs as Shane and Dustin left, chatting excitedly between themselves, hands brushing the other's, never quite touching; their steps and paces matching as they exchanged secret smiles.   
  
As the door slid shut behind them, Cam shook his head, a mix of amusement and fascination on his face. "Well, it's about time."   
  
Tori grinned widely, eyes sparkling as she rested sandal-clad feet against the arm of Cam's computer chair. "So all my friends are gay. I can't decide if that makes me giddy or really giddy."   
  
That caught Cam's attention. "Come again?"   
  
She repeated her statement, slower this time. "It makes me giddy that all my guy friends are apparently gay." She paused. "Oh wait. Except Blake. I hope."   
  
Cam narrowed his eyes at her. "And what am I, chopped liver?"   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Aren't we friends?"   
  
"Totally!"   
  
"But I'm not gay!"   
  
"What do you call your thing for Hunter?" Tori pointed out, smugly.   
  
"What?!" For once in his life, Cam was unable to immediately form an eloquent sentence. "What are you talking about?"   
  
Tori sighed. "You like Hunter." She spelt out, much to Cam's annoyance. "Hunter is a boy. Therefore, you are gay. Unless you like girls too. In which case, my bad. But that doesn't stop me from being giddy about this!"   
  
"What?!" Cam found himself repeating. He was beginning to feel like an extremely repetitive talking parrot.   
  
"Oh, come on, Cam. I'll bet he likes you too! Besides, it's nothing to be ashamed of! You guys would make such a cute couple!" Tori wheedled, now poking Cam in the arm with her turquoise sandals and navy blue polish on toenails.   
  
He was about to tell her to quit it or threaten her to be digging through the dumpster for her flip-flops, when Blake wandered in, effectively taking her attention off of Cam. "Who would make a cute couple?" Blake inquired.   
  
"No one." Tori shot a pointed look in Cam's direction before continuing. "Everything okay?"   
  
"Oh yeah." Blake was grinning from ear to ear. "Better than okay, actually." He hesitated only a moment before holding out a hand and offering it to Tori. "You ready to go?"   
  
Tori looked about ready to explode with glee. "Yeah!" She let herself be pulled out of the room as both she and Blake tossed off goodbyes at Cam.   
  
Cam thought for a moment. There would be other battles and arguments to be fought with Tori. Why not let her have this one? It might just make her day even more than it already had been made.   
  
"Tori?" he called to her retreating back.   
  
"Yeah?" she yelled back.   
  
"Maybe a little."   
  
His confession was met with a loud whoop of excitement and victory on Tori's part and a confused question from Blake at Cam's cryptic statement, fading with their footsteps down the hall.   
  
Cam smiled in spite of himself, and swivelled his chair back around to face his computer screen and was ready to go back to work, when a sudden voice at his shoulder almost made him jump out of his seat. "If you should want to talk to him, now would be the ideal time."   
  
When Cam's breathing had regulated once more, the creature had already hopped down onto the desk in front of him. "Dad! You almost scared me to death! And who's this him I'm supposed to be speaking to?"   
  
"I am sorry. But you should know that if you want to speak to Hunter, now would be the ideal time."   
  
"And why would I want to do a thing like that?"   
  
"Cam." His father sounded amused. "You never were a very good liar."   
  
Cam was indignant. "What are you talking about?"   
  
"Look, Cameron." Cam winced at the use of his full name. "I have no problem with you two together. You love who you love; it is what it is."   
  
"But…how…" For the second time in a day, Cam was rendered speechless. Finally, all he could muster was "Since when have you been interested in who I see?"   
  
"Since always. I am your father. I care about you and your well-being, whether it is evident or not."   
  
"Oh." Was all that Cam could manage. "Well, I knew that, but…why this all of a sudden?"   
  
"Because, I wish for you to be happy. Hunter seems to make you happy, son." The guinea pig's nose and whiskers twitched slightly in mirth. "Besides, you could do much worse."   
  
And with that sentiment and a wink, his father scampered out of the room, leaving Cam alone in a daze.   
  
-   
  
He found himself in the dim room, almost ten minutes after the encounter with his father. He stood in the doorway, unsure of what exactly to do, eyeing the lump under the pile of blankets on the other side of the room, a crimson red sleeve and pale hand sticking out from under the mess.   
  
Finally, the lump moved slightly. "Hey Cam."   
  
Cam was slightly taken aback. "How did you know it was me?"   
  
"Who else would wear such an ugly green shirt?" A smirk was detected in the answer.   
  
"It's not ugly. I like it."   
  
"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night, bro." Hunter threw off some of the covers. "So you gonna stand there all day or what?"   
  
Against his better judgement, Cam balanced himself delicately on the side of the bed. "Better?"   
  
"Lots."   
  
Silence reigned in the room.   
  
And then, "You know, you really had us worried for a while ther…"   
  
"Okay yeah." Hunter cut in, holding up a hand. "I know, I heard. What can I say?" Shrugging as he winced slightly. "I got it, all right bro?" His expression brightened as he changed the subject. "Hey, where is everybody? Tori and Blake are at the beach…what about Dustin and Shane?"   
  
"Playing basketball. First to 21." Cam replied, emphasising the _basketball_ part.   
  
Hunter smirked again. "Well, it's about time."   
  
Laughter. "Yeah, that's exactly what I said."   
  
Conversation lapsed once more.   
  
Cam couldn't resist. "You really scared me, Hunter.", surprised at how soft his voice sounded, even to his own ears. His sentence loaded with meaning that he could not expression in words. He spread his fingers out on the mattress, his hand suddenly of much interest as he examined it.   
  
This seemed to surprise Hunter. "Hey." He reached out longer fingers and covered Cam's hand with them. Letting him know that he understood. "I'm sorry, okay?"   
  
Cam was content in letting Hunter idly play with his fingers. "Yeah, okay."   
  
It was Hunter who broke the quiet this time. "Hey Cam?"   
  
"Yeah?"   
  
"What is…this?"   
  
"What do you mean?"   
  
"Like…" Hunter grasped Cam's hand with his own. "Is this…?"   
  
Cam shrugged. "It is what it is." When Hunter gave him a quizzical look, the only thing he could offer back was a small smile. "All right, so I don't really know what this is." He paused. And then shyly, tentatively, "But I'd like to find out."   
  
Hunter seemed to think about this for a moment. And then, without letting go of Cam's hand, he looked him straight in the eye and gave him a genuine smile. "Okay."   
  
- end -   
  
**closing notes**: Thanks to all who read and reviewed the story. First attempt at a fandom that I've never actually watched. Thank you for the feedback and the helpful hints and for reading. You guys ROCK!!! ^_________^ 


End file.
